Sparking mechanism.



No. 730,519. PATENTED JUNE 9, 1903. J. S. DIKBMAN. SPARKING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED JAN, 3. 190s. No MODEL.

. "/Itlorney Y 4 I UNITED STATES Patented J une 9, 1903.

PATENT EEICE.

JOSEPH s. DIKEMAN, or ToRmNeToN, ooNNEorroi-lr,Assiettes or ONE- HALE To CHARLES s. DIKEMAN, or Toni-amorosi,coNNEorIcU'r.

SPARKING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 730,519-, dated. J une 9, 1903.

Application filed January 3, 1903. Serial Nu. 137,730. (No model.)

To all whom it may con/cern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH S. DIKEMAN, a resident of Torrington, in the county of Litchfield and State ot Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spark'ing Mechanism; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains Io to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in sparking mechanism for explosive-engines, and more particularly to 'self-starting features thereof, the object of the invention being to provide improvements upon the construction disclosed in Patent No. 687,874, granted to me December 3, 1901, which will permit a sparkto be made at any time to start the engine with a partial compression of the zo charge.

With this object in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts,

aswill be'more fully hereinafter described,and

pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 isa side View, partly in section, illustrating my improvements applied to 'an engine. Fig. 2 is a front view of the sparking mechanism removed. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail View of the spark-timingr mechanism, and Fig. 4 is a view illustrating a modification.

A represents the cylinder of an explosiveengine, and 1 the crank-shaft. On the crankshaft 1 and preferably back of the ily-wheel (not shown) a cam or eccentric 2 is secured by a set-screw, as shown, and is adapted to turn in a sectional ring 2',carried by one end of a rod or pitman', and oscillate the latter.'

4o The upper end of the pitman is bored to receive the round end on an angular cross-bar 7, which latter is screw-threaded at its end to receive a nut 4 and secure the parts together, and interposed washers@ between the opposite faces of rod or pitman 3, bar 7, and

nut 4. The other end of bar 7 is bored to receive a pump-plunger 8, secured thereto bya nut screwed onto the plunger above the crossbar. This plunger 8 is connected with and 5o adapted to operate the pump (not shown) for supplying air, gas, liquid, or a mixture to the engine simultaneously with the operation of the sparking mechanism and by means of the same eccentric 2.

Te the Side f me cylinder A a bracket 'io 55 c is secured by screws or other means and is provided with alined angular bearings for a sliding angular rod 11, which latter is held in the bearings against displacement by screwheld caps or strips 9. The lower end of this rod1l` is milled square to a shoulder securely held iran angular hole in the central portion of cross-bar 7 by a nur. screwed into the rounded and threaded extreme lower end thereof, hence holding,Y the shoulder firmly against the upper face of the bar to make a rigid connection. Theupperend llof this rodisalso milled:` square to form a shoulder, and an angular* sleeve or ring l2 is held down onto said shoulder by a nut screwed onto the circular threaded end of the rod, and said sleeve or ring l2 is made ou one side with an integral pintle 12a, on which a cam-lever 14is f ulcru med between its ends and secured thereon by a nut. The lower end of cam-lever 14is enlarged and made 75 with van outwardly-projecting pin 14, against which the free end of a flat spring l 3 bears, said spring being secured beneath the nut on the end of rod 11 and holds the lower end of the cam-lever againsta cam 29 for a purpose which will more Vfully hereinafter appear. The ot-heror upper end of the cam-lever 14 notched to engage an angular flange 16a at the lower end of a sliding sleeve 16, mounted on a vertical rod 26, supported in a bracket l5, secured to the side of the engine-cylinder. This sleeve 16 has mounted thereon acollar 27, having` a pintle or pin 19 at one side disposed in a slot 2S in the crank-arm 20, and acoiled spring 18 is located on sleeve 16 between lian ge 16fL and the collar 27 to hold the latter against an adjustable ringV 24, screwed onto Vthe upper end of the sleeve and adapted to be screwed up and-downv to adjust the posi- -tion of the collar 27 and the tension of spring 95 1S. A stationary nut 25 is also screwed onto the extreme upper end ot lsleeve 16 to limit the upward movement of adj usting-ring 24. The crank-arm 20 is secured on the end of a sparking shaft or lever 22, projecting into the cylinder A, supported in a sleeve 22 and forming the movable contact-point of the device. This sparking-lever is adapted to make and break contact with a contact-point 23,

supported in the end of the cylinder and insulated therefrom, as shown. By so constructing this portion of myimprovements it will be seen that when rod 11 is elevated to raise the cam-lever the latter engaging the flange 16a at the lower end of sleeve 16 will, through the medium of spring 18, elevate co1- lar 27 and move the sparking-lever to bringv the contact-points together. When in this position, cam 29 will serve to move the camlever out of engagement with sleeve 16 and permit the separation of the contact-points to make a spark and the parts to return to their former or normal position.

The bracket 10 is provided on one side with an extension 10a, made with alined bearings 29b for an eXternally-screw-threaded tube 29a, meshing with the internal threads of a sleeve 29, on which a collar or ring 29d is secured between the bearings 29b to prevent longitudinal movement ofthe. sleeve 29C. 30 is mounted in tube 29a and projects at both ends beyond the same and carries at its inner end the cam 29, heretofore referred to, which latter is made angular or flat on its lower edge to move along a flat face of the bracket and prevent rotary movement of the cam. A knob or button 3l is secured on the outer end of this rod 30, and a coiled spring 31a is located on the rod between knob 31 and the end of tube 29c to normally hold the cam against the inner end of said tube. On the outer end of sleeve 29c a split pawl-lever 33 is securely clamped by a set-screw 33 and carries at its free end a spring-pressed pawl 34, having a knob 34n to facilitate the withdrawal of the pawl from any of a series of holes or sockets in a plate 32. This plate 32, having holes therein to receive the pawl, is adapted to hold the cam 29 in any position desired, as the turning of lever 33 turns sleeve 29C, moves 29a longitudinally, and adjusts the cam 29 toward or away from the cam-lever 14 to vary the time of release of lower cup 16a by the cam-lever.

By securing the cam 29 on rod 30, as above explained, the operator can at any time that the contacts are together push knob 31 inward to move cam 29 against the lever 14 and compel its release of cup 16 and the consequent separation of the contact-points to make a spark and explode the partially-compressed charge. This enables the starting of the engine at any position of the piston when there is a partially-compressed charge in the cylinder, for as soon as the spark is made knob or button 3l is released and spring 31a will return the cam toits normal working position.

In the form of my improvements shown in Fig. 4 the cam 29 is shown secured upon a screw-threaded rod 35, mounted loosely in bearings 36 and having a knob 37 on its outer end. Lock-nuts 38 are screwed onto the rod between the bearings, and a coiled spring 39 is located on the rod between a bearing 36 and the nuts to normally hold the A rod' latter against the other bearing and the cam 29 in working position. These nuts can of course be adjusted to time the spark, and by forcing knob 37 inward the spark can be made at any time, spring 39 serving to return the cam to its normal position when the knob is released.

A great many other changes might be made in the general form and arrangement of parts described without departing from my invention, and hence I do not confine myself to the precise details set forth, but consider myself at liberty to make such slight changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- A 1. In a sparking mechanism, the combination with a stationary and a movable contactpoint, of a cam-lever for moving the contactpoints together, a spring for separating the contact-points, a cam for moving the lever to permit the operation of the spring and means for adjusting the position of the cam toward and away from the cam-lever to vary the time of sparking, and a push-rod connected with the cam to permit the movement of the cam and consequent separation of the contact-points.

2. In a sparking mechanism, the combination with a stationary and a movable contactpoint, of a rod, means for oscillatingthe same, a cam-lever fulcrumed on the rod, a stationary rod, a sliding sleeve thereon having a flange at one end, a collar loose on the sleeve, a spring between the collar and iange, an adjusting-ring above the collar, a pin on the collar engaging mechanism controlling the movable contact-point, said cam-lever engaging the flange to raise the sleeve and collar and bring the contact-points together, and a cam in the path of said lever to throw it out of engagement with the flange and permit the contact-points to separate and make a spark.

3. In a sparking mechanism, the combination with a sliding support and a cam-lever fulcrumed between its ends on said support, of a sliding sleeve having a flange `at one end, engaged by the cam-lever, a collar loose on the sleeve, a spring between the flange and collar, an adjusting-ring screwed onto the sleeve above the collar, a. nut screwed onto the sleeve above the ring, a pin on the collar, a slotted crank-arm to receive the pin, a movable contactfpoint operated by the crankarm, and means for engaging the cam-lever to disengage it from the flange on the sliding sleeve.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH S. DIKEMAN.

Witnesses:

BERNARD E. HIGGINS, R. H. CHAPMAN.

IIO 

